


Morning Rituals

by MorganD



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Jalec Week, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-19 01:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11887026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganD/pseuds/MorganD
Summary: Alec and Lydia are happily married. In their own way.





	Morning Rituals

Lydia wakes up a couple of minutes before the alarm, as usual. Nothing new there. Her whole life, no matter to what time she set the alarm, she would always rouse just in time to turn it off before it made any noise.

That has changed a little after her wedding. She still wakes up before the alarm, but some days—when the agenda predicts a busy morning for the co-heads of the New York Institute—she leaves it on so it’ll wake up her husband.

This is not one of those mornings, though. There are reports to read and verify, medical and food supplies to order, a small leak on the ceiling of the top floor corridor to deal with, and a young trainee to scold for bullying other trainees. Nothing she can’t take care of on her own, and Alec spent most of last night on the field fighting a Kuri infestation in Port Morris.

So she turns off the alarm, and lets him sleep. There’s a meeting scheduled for the afternoon with Lucian Graymark and Raphael Santiago to address some recent episodes of—thankfully non-fatal—violence between members of their clans, and Alec will definitely need to be well rested for that.

First thing she does after getting up is the first thing she does every morning: putting on the gold necklace Alec gave her on their wedding. The pendant is stunningly beautiful and she wears it with honor, but she feels uncomfortable sleeping with the thin chain around her neck. It might break. It might choke her.

Those are perfectly sound reasons not to wear it in bed, but she doesn’t want anyone but Alec to ever catch her without it. For the same reason why Alec never takes off the gold bracelet she gave him,  _not even_  in bed. The last thing they want is to have people inquiring about the state of their marriage. Too much depends on their ability to appear happily together.

Which… they are. In their own way.

Lydia steps into the bathroom, silently closing the door behind her. The face she finds in the mirror is relaxed, a hint of a smile curving her lips. The mourning rune is still there on her right forearm. It will always be there, to remind her of John, of Lisbon, of everything she lost, as if she could ever forget.

She had been certain that she had lost her one chance at happiness when John was killed in that disastrous mission in Rio. She had thought her heart had withered and died along with him.  _Nephilim only fall in love once_ , it’s what they say.

Well, they were wrong. Life still had a few nice surprises to offer her.  _Really_  nice surprises.

She takes her time washing, brushing her teeth, and applying makeup, for no other reason that it feels good to be gentle with herself. She combs the knots out of her hair, and keeps it down. Someone will be  _very_  disappointed if she braids it now.

Alec is still in the same position when she reenters the bedroom in her satin robe. One of his feet is sticking out of the bed, as it often happens. Lydia smiles fondly as she pulls the blanket to cover it. They really should get a longer bed. If only she could find a way to convince him that the expense would not be wasteful if it led to his own comfort.

Someone knocks on the door. One knock, pause, two knocks, pause, another knock. Lydia doesn’t know if it’s  _meant_ to be code, but it kind of is anyway. Same person always knocks on their door every morning, always the same pattern. Lydia already has a smirk on her face as she walks to the door, knowing she’ll find a similar smirk waiting on the other side when she opens it.

“Husband awake?” asks Jace, as he does every morning.

“Husband sound asleep,” she replies.

They don’t use possessive adjectives between them. No ‘your’, no ‘my’, no ‘her’. Alec is just ‘husband’.

Lydia gestures Jace inside, and locks the door. He goes straight to Alec, getting cozy between him and the edge of the bed, half-sitting, half-lying.

Alec instantly rolls over and rests his head on Jace’s chest, cuddling him fiercely.

Without waking up.

As he always does.

“I keep imagining the day someone else will sit down beside him while he sleeps and suddenly get an armful of Alec Lightwood on their lap,” Lydia whispers, suppressing a giggle.

“Nah, he only does that with me,” Jace whispers back.

“You’re saying he can sense it’s you?”

“I don’t know. Probably.” Jace shifts position to get more comfortable, and Alec just shifts with him. “One of those funny side effects of literally sharing a soul with someone.”

Lydia is inclined to agree with that assessment. In all the time she had shared a bed with Alec, not once the intangible line dividing its two halves has ever been crossed. She was apprehensive in the first weeks of their marriage, imagining that such a large man would naturally take a proportionally large portion of the mattress, and possibly roll over her much smaller frame in his sleep, leading to awkward situations when one or both of them woke up. However, nothing like that has ever happened. Alec has always been a perfect gentleman, even when unconscious.

Which makes him even more deserving of a bed long enough for him  _and_  his feet.

“He didn’t sleep well, did he?” asks Jace, his hand softly petting Alec’s nape.

Lydia blinks in surprise. “Is that another funny side effect? You sense his bad dreams?”

“No need for that. Kuri are basically demonic spiders, and he  _abhors_ spiders.”

“I didn’t know that! Why didn’t he say something?”

Jace shrugs. “Ah, you know how stupid he gets, worrying about people thinking less of him.”

“I wish he’d realize he really doesn’t have to worry about  _my_  opinion of him.”

“Same here, sister,” says Jace with a sigh. “Same here.”

Alec groans, and they wait to see if he’s waking up, but he only buries his face in the crook of Jace’s neck.

Lydia smiles and steps away, leaving them to enjoy each other’s company in peace. She opens the closet and, after a moment of contemplation, selects her auburn suit with the mandarin collar. It’s comfortable, elegant, and she’s been told—by an expert—that the hue brings up her own colors. She picks a simple black top from a drawer, underwear from another, and steps behind the privacy screen to get changed.

* * *

Hmmmmm… verbena…

Verbena body wash.

Verbena means  _safe_.

Verbena means  _warm_.

Verbena means  _loved_.

Verbena means  _home_.

Verbena means his wife let him sleep in again.

“Dammit, Lydia…” he mumbles against the verbena-smelling skin.

“Well, good morning to you, too,” says Jace.

Alec can’t see his face, but he can hear the smile in his voice. “She turned off the alarm.”

“Isn’t waking up like this a lot better?”

It is. Of course it is. Absolutely no comparison. “I have things to do.”

“Things?”

“Important… things.”

“Well, then. I guess you need to get up, huh?”

He does.

He will.

As soon as Jace stops kissing his hair.

And caressing the back of his neck.

Damn, Jace  _knows_  that always turns his muscles into jelly. “You don’t fool me, you know. I know exactly what you’re doing.”

“You mean, besides cuddling my sleepy parabatai?”

“You’re shirking your duties by having me shirk mine.”

“I would  _never_!” exclaims Jace with mock indignation.

“Yeah, right.”

“Seriously, though, what duties am I shirking? I thought I had the morning off.”

“Sure you have.  _After_  you deliver the incident report about last night’s operation.”

“Me? Why me? You were the senior hunter in the field.”

Alec yawns. “You asked to take point.”

“Just for when we entered the building.”

“You mean, just for the  _actual_  mission, then.”

“Oh, come on, Alec.”

“You wanted the responsibility, you get the responsibility.”

“I wanted the fun. Reports are no fun.”

Alec raises his head to glare at him. “For the last time, Jace, our being parabatai does not mean you having fun while I do all the work.”

“But we’re not only parabatai anymore, Alec,” says Jace, rubbing their noses together.

Alec schools his expression into a frown, refusing to give into the urge to smile. “If you’re reminding me that I’m also your boss, I haven’t forgotten that.”

Jace rolls his eyes. “No, I mean… Well, yes. You’re the boss. And me? I’m  _banging_ the boss.”

Alec groans. Of course Jace would go there.

“So now tell me, Alec. What’s the point of banging the boss if I can’t even get a few privileges out of it?”

“You get the privilege of banging the boss,” ripostes Alec dryly. “If you feel that’s not enough for you, then I…”

His next words are swallowed by Jace’s mouth on his.

It’s a hungry, sloppy kiss, which sadly doesn’t last very long.

“Ew.” Jace grimaces. “Morning breath.”

Alec pinches Jace’s stomach in retaliation. “That’s what you get for not waiting until I brush my teeth.”

“I couldn’t wait! You were talking complete nonsense! We can’t have the co-head of the New York Institute talking nonsense.” Jace runs his fingers through Alec’s hair. “It’s enough,” he whispers. “What we have? It’s more than enough. It’s  _everything_.”

Alec grins and rolls to lie fully on top of Jace. He drops a chaste, closed-mouth kiss on Jace’s lips, then shifts his attention to Jace’s neck, kissing and licking and nibbling it in a very unchastely manner. He feels Jace’s hands moving up his back, under the tee-shirt, blunt nails softly grazing his skin. Alec responds by fondling his parabatai’s chest and capturing a nipple between his fingers.

“Hmmm… Alec…”

“Heads-up, boys!” calls Lydia from behind the screen. “I’m coming out in a minute.”

Alec begins to move away, but Jace hugs him tighter.

“We still have a few seconds,” says Jace, kissing Alec on the lips, tongue teasing them for entrance.

“Morning breath, you forgot?”

“Don’t care. Kiss me. Kiss me like this is the one kiss we’ll get for the rest of the day.”

Alec complies. For all they know, it might very well be.

* * *

Jace used to hate mornings. He had smashed more alarms than he could remember. He had often punched the people who tried to rouse him—not always  _totally_ by accident. Getting him to string two sentences together that made any sense and didn’t include any grunts used to require at least two cups of black coffee.

Now mornings are his favorite part of the day. He and Alec get to go out on secret dates occasionally, but their lives are often too busy dealing with all kinds of problems, from the most trivial to the potentially lethal to the world-shattering ones. Early mornings are the only time they are sure to find at least some moments to enjoy each other. Some days, there’s only enough time to share a quick shower. But then there are mornings like this, when Lydia turns off the alarm so Alec can wake up in Jace’s arms, adorably clingy and disheveled, a bit grumpy—it  _is_  Alec, after all—but willing to allow himself a few minutes of fooling around.

When Alec rolls away again, sitting up with his back against the headboard, Lydia is already seated at the vanity, not paying the least attention to them. Instead, she’s combing her hair and separating it in various locks.

“Uh, you sure you wanna do that?” Jace asks her.

“I wish I could wait, but someone’s gotta work here.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Alec protests. “You turned off the alarm.”

Lydia smiles at him through the mirror. “It’s not you I’m complaining about.”

Practically on cue, someone starts knocking—almost banging—on the door. Being the closest to it, Jace gets up and unlocks it.

He is promptly and unceremoniously pushed aside by a frantic Isabelle.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…” She rushes to Lydia and holds her wrists.

“ _And_  good morning to  _you_ , too, Izzy,” says Jace, closing the door. “You Lightwoods are breaking my heart today.”

Alec snorts and reaches out to him with his hand. “Poor baby. Don’t tell me you’re feeling ignored.”

Jace takes his hand and climbs back into the bed. “You’re both too busy scolding Lydia to greet me properly. That stings.”

“Well, it’s not like Izzy has said a word to me either,” Alec replies.

“Or me,” adds Lydia, giving Izzy a reproaching look.

Izzy takes Lydia’s face between her hands and kisses her passionately. “Good morning, beautiful.”

Lydia beams at her girlfriend. “Hmm… that’s much better.”

“See that, Alec?” Jace shakes his head in dismay. “Chopped liver, the both of us.”

Izzy sighs impatiently and waves at her brothers without taking her eyes off Lydia. “Hi, big bro. Hi, whining bro. I’m sorry, but it’s a matter of priorities. Now, Lyds… what’s gonna be today?”

“I was thinking of a side French braid leading into a ponytail?” Lydia quickly describes what she’s aiming for, and somehow Isabelle knows exactly how to achieve it.

Jace can’t imagine ever needing those skills—for a rope, he would favor strength over beauty—but he can’t help admiring the agile movements of Izzy’s fingers in weaving the desired pattern. “I really don’t think it’s fair of you to chide Lydia for starting without you when you’re the one who’s late, Izzy.”

“Well, someone had to write the report from last night,” replies Isabelle.

“Wait, what? That was my job!” Jace protests.

He can practically  _feel_  Alec’s judging glare burning the side of his face.

Izzy snorts, her gaze fully focused on Lydia’s hair. “I bet you were about to beg Alec to do it in your place.”

Alec’s shoulders shake in a silent chuckle.

Jace tries to look offended. “I…”

“And then after he tells you no,” Izzy continues, “you’re probably going to throw your charm over some unsuspecting trainee who wasn’t even there, and then we’ll find ourselves with a report with little resemblance to the truth and some major embellishments regarding your skills in action.”

“Oh, come on, I wouldn’t do that!”

“You’ve  _done_  that, Jace. Many times.”

“Not… lately.”

“Well, I grew tired of revising your admirers’ odes to your unparalleled greatness. It’s just easier to write an accurate report myself. Hence my tardiness.”

“Isabelle…” Lydia’s eyes look soft and happy in the mirror. “I wish we had more time, so I could  _really_  show you my appreciation.”

This is how Jace knows that he’s witnessing the real thing: in all the years he’s known Izzy, he’s never seen anyone make her blush—and yet there she is, with her cheeks as red as ripe tomatoes, thanks to a simple praise from Lydia Branwell.

Jace rests his head on Alec’s shoulder and interlocks their fingers together. “I  _was_  going to write that report,” he mumbles. “I swear.”

“Well, too bad,” says Alec. “It seems you’ll have to earn my appreciation some other way.”

Jace smirks. He can think of some ways.

Truth be told, Alec and Lydia have a lot in common, which is why their arrangement works so well. But while Lydia gets genuinely turned on by good work ethics, Alec secretly loves when Jace convinces him that he doesn’t have to work himself into the ground, and that he is allowed to sneak away and have some moments for himself.

“There’s another reason why I was late, though,” Isabelle admits.

“As long as it’s not because you were making us breakfast,” Jace quips.

She ignores the jab. “I got a fire message from Dad. He and Mom are coming from Idris tomorrow afternoon.”

Jace feels Alec’s whole body become as taut as a bowstring.

“Did he say why?” asks Alec.

“Only that they want to see us.”

“Probably to make sure we haven’t turned the Institute into a shopping mall for Downworlders,” says Lydia.

Jace squeezes Alec’s hand. “Hey. It’s okay. They’ve been here several times since the wedding, and everything went fine. It’ll be fine this time around, too.  _We’ll_  be fine.”

“I don’t get why you get so stressed out when Mom and Dad come to visit,” Izzy tells Alec. “It’s not like before, when you were just minding the fort in their absence. You and Lydia are the ones in charge now, for real. They don’t get to order you around anymore. If they don’t like any of your decisions, it’s their problem, not yours.”

“Amen,” Lydia mutters. She is no exception to the rule that says that wives don’t get along with their mothers-in-law. In her and Maryse’s case, though, the reasons have little to do with jealousy over Alec’s attentions.

Alec breathes in deeply, trying to get his muscles to relax. “I know. It’s just… Mom. The way she looks at me now. Like she’s so proud of me.”

Izzy frowns. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It wouldn’t be, if I actually were the man she thinks I am. Whenever she looks at me, I feel like a giant fraud.”

Lydia’s eyes widen in indignation. “You are most definitely  _not_  a fraud, Alec.”

“Lydia is right,” says Jace. “Maryse thinks you’re an honorable man, a dutiful son, a protective brother, a skilled warrior, a great leader, and a hopeless workaholic. Every single one of those beliefs is entirely correct.”

Alec arches an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m a good husband, too.”

“And you are,” Lydia assures him. “You make me very happy. I promise you I have no complaints whatsoever.”

“But…”

“The particulars of  _how_  we make each other happy are our business alone. Your parents don’t get a say on what happens in our bedroom.”

Jace smiles at Lydia, and kisses the back of Alec’s hand. “If it helps, I promise to be on my best behavior while they’re here.”

“Better not,” retorts Alec. “I don’t think anything could make them more suspicious than that!”

“Well, in that case…”

Jace hits him with a pillow.

* * *

Isabelle shakes her head as she sees the two men engage in a full-on pillow fight. Frankly, she’s not the least worried about people finding out about Alec and Jace being lovers. The truth is that their interaction hasn’t changed much from when they were kids and merely best friends. Everyone in the Institute is used to how physical they are with each other. Even if someone entered the room right now and caught Alec straddling Jace and trying to smother him with a pillow while Jace kicks Alec’s ass with his heels to try to get him off of him… oh, they’re brothers! They’re parabatai! Just horsing around! They’ve always been like that!

She and Lydia are the ones who really need to be careful. Their relationship has certainly changed  _a lot_ since their first meeting.

The pillow fight ends with Alec falling off the bed head-first. He’s still laughing, though, so no one is terribly concerned.

“Are you okay?” Jace asks among giggles.

“You’re a menace!” Alec chortles. “Fuck, what time is it?”

“Oh, no! Don’t become a responsible grownup yet!”

But Alec is already on his feet, checking the clock. “Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“Don’t worry, Alec, I can handle the morning’s agenda,” says Lydia. “Why don’t you take the time to inspect the Institute in preparation for your parents’ arrival? Like Isabelle said, if they don’t like our improvements, that’s their problem. Let’s just make sure all the things they find to frown upon are things we can defend as being our choices, and not mistakes that have slipped our notice.”

“Agreed.” He opens his side of the closet, and selects a bunch of black clothing items.

“For Raziel’s sake, Alec, at least pick a blue shirt!” complains Izzy.

Her brother rolls his eyes dramatically, but complies.

Jace takes the clothes from his arms and runs into the bathroom. “Here, I’ll help you get dressed.”

“You mean you’re gonna make me even more late,” Alec grumbles.

Of course, he steps into the bathroom all the same and locks the door. Judging by the total absence of noise coming from inside, they’ve probably activated their soundless runes, too.

“How about you, Isabelle?” asks Lydia.

“What about me?”

“Maryse’s presence here always leaves you… on edge.”

Izzy sighs, wrapping the lock she’s just finished braiding around the base of Lydia’s pony tail. “Well, you know. I really don’t have to worry about Mom ever looking at me with pride.”

“Well, that’s a shame. Maybe we should bring in someone to examine her eyesight. If she can’t see what’s right in front of her…”

Izzy feels her cheeks burn. She risks a glance at the mirror, and indeed, there’s not enough makeup in the world that could disguise her reddened skin. “You’re my girlfriend. You have to say that.”

“Yes, because I’m so famous for being  _nice_ ,” Lydia rejoins sarcastically.

Isabelle smirks. No, Lydia isn’t nice. She’s mannerly and coolheaded, but it’s not in her nature to put much effort in being pleasant to people. More to the point, she’s not really the kind to say nice things if she doesn’t mean them wholeheartedly. “Anyway, you know you can’t defend me in front of my mom. She’ll think it’s weird that you don’t consider me useless and too impassioned to be reliable. She’ll think something’s off.”

“I won’t get in the way if she addresses you as your mother. But I won’t have her harming the morale of my people with undeserved criticism. That goes for all Shadowhunters in this Institute, not just you.”

Izzy fastens the end of the braid neatly with a pin, and fluffs the ponytail. “And that’s reason 1,526 why the Institute is much better off in your hands and Alec’s than it ever was in my parents’.”

“You really feel that way?” asks Lydia, turning on her seat to face Izzy. “That wasn’t your opinion when I first showed up.”

“You looked like the enemy when you first showed up,” counters Izzy, sitting on Lydia’s lap. “Quite literally, I should add.”

Lydia grins, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. “Surely you understand the value of making an entrance.”

“Oh, I do. You still have to tell me how you caught that arrow.”

“I’m serious, though. I bet I was your least favorite person when the Clave sent me here.”

“I didn’t see you as a  _person_  back then,” Izzy admits. “You were the envoy from the Clave, a threat to my family and friends, and the bitch that arrested and prosecuted me.”

“All good reasons to resent me.”

“Through it all, Alec kept trying to make me see the difference between who you are and what the Clave was ordering you to do, but I was too angry to listen.”

“I didn’t make things any easier,” Lydia laments. “I shouldn’t have let things go as far as they did.”

“And then I was afraid you’d ruin my brother’s life by chaining him to a life of loneliness and misery.”

“I would never have asked him for more than he was willing to give. But at the time, I really didn’t think happiness could be found outside of work and the fulfillment of my duty.” Lydia runs her fingers through Izzy’s hair. “Thank the Angel, you changed all that.”

“We probably should give some credit to those two morons.” Isabelle tilts her head towards the bathroom door. “If they hadn’t finally gotten their heads out of their asses and admitted how they really feel for each other, we probably wouldn’t be here.”

“Is this enough for you?” Lydia inquires with a sober tone. “A secret relationship with a married woman? I wouldn’t blame you for wanting more.”

“It’s a secret that ensures that I don’t lose my brothers. As much as I’d love to summon a meeting of the Clave just so I could kiss you senseless in front of all those bigoted snobs, if this secret comes out, Alec and Jace might be de-runed and exiled, and I’d be forbidden to ever see them again. And I… I can’t…”

“Hey…” Lydia caresses Isabelle’s cheek. “That’s not going to happen. We’ll keep them safe, I promise.”

Izzy takes a deep breath. “Sorry. You’re right. I teased Alec for it, but Mom’s visits do make me nervous.”

“Silver lining… Robert is coming, too. Probably with a present for his favorite girl.”

“Yes.” Izzy beamed. “It’ll be good to see him again. I really miss him.”

“At least that’s one parent to look at you with pride.”

“No. No, he doesn’t. I know he loves me, but… he doesn’t expect much from me. He doesn’t see my accomplishments. Alec is the only one who gets any recognition for getting a job well done.”

“Would you like to trade places with him?”

Isabelle flinched. “God, no. Definitely not. The slump on my brother’s shoulders? That’s fifteen percent from being so damn tall, and the rest is all from carrying the burden of our parents’ expectations. I cannot say I envy that.”

Lydia presses her lips in a tight line. “You know… there’s a factor you…  _we_  might have to consider.”

“What?”

“Now that they have already married their eldest, Robert and Maryse might start looking for a good match for you. I mean, Jace is older than you, but…”

Izzy shakes her head. “Marrying Jace does not serve to aggrandize the Lightwood name, so I doubt it was ever a priority for them, even back when he was Mom’s favorite.”

“You’re next in line, then.”

“Oh, but I’ve dramatically decreased my value as a potential spouse by consorting with Downworlders,” replies Izzy, mimicking her mother’s haughty tone. “Mom has already made it clear to me that she has no hope that I could possibly attract an advantageous match.”

“That doesn’t mean she won’t try to find you  _any_  match at all.”

“I give you my word, Lyds. If she tries, I’ll make her life harder than ever before.”

Lydia arches her eyebrows. “That is a very bold promise. Is it even feasible?”

Izzy looks deep into Lydia’s eyes, a playful smirk on her lips, and a solemn vow in her heart. “Don’t doubt my determination to get what I want. Or to keep what I love.”

She was rewarded with Lydia pulling her into a kiss that made her head spin and her toes curl.

Izzy kisses back with all she has, one hand moving up Lydia’s spine in a teasing caress, the other gently cradling one of Lydia’s breasts. She wants to get her hands into her girlfriend’s clothes, mess up the hair she’s just finished braiding, and drag her to bed. However, there’s no way Lydia will agree to that, not when there’s work to be done. Furthermore, Jace won’t be able to distract Alec in the bathroom for much longer. Ah, the quandaries of dating workaholics…

Predictably, Lydia pulls back just when things start to get really hot. “I need to go, my darling.”

Izzy doesn’t moan. She doesn’t pout.

Okay, maybe just a little.

Sometimes it works.

“Tell you what,” says Lydia. “How about we go out tonight?”

“Go out? As in…?”

“Check some old, abandoned demon nests in Brooklyn for any signs of recent activity, and when we don’t find any, find a place to have dinner and… whatever else we might want.”

Isabelle’s cheeks hurt from smiling so broadly. “Really?”

“Uh-huh. But…”

“ _But_  I need to get up now and let you go do your job.”

“Afraid so.”

Izzy sighs dramatically and gives Lydia another peck on the lips before standing up.

Lydia checks herself on the mirror again, making sure her hair and makeup do not betray the moments of clandestine happiness with her husband’s sister.

“You look stunning,” Izzy assures her, running her fingers down the shoulders of the auburn suit. “This color really suits you.”

“You’re the expert.” Lydia stands up, takes her hands and kisses them. “I bow to your wisdom in such matters.”

Izzy’s heart throbs in a peculiar mix of joy and disappointment as Lydia turns and leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

If Maryse Lightwood were here, she would scowl at the image of her daughter spinning on her tiptoes, dancing like a little girl who’s been told she can have ice cream for dinner, and falling down spread-eagle on the bed, giggling at the ceiling. Thinking of her mother’s glowering look makes Izzy giggle louder.

She closes her eyes and makes plans for the night. Where to go. What to eat. What to drink. What to see. What to do. Lots and lots and lots of wonderful things to do. Together.

“You still here?”

Izzy’s eyes blink open to find Alec, dressed and shaved and reasonably coiffed, staring down at her. Behind him, still in the bathroom, Jace is putting his shirt back on.

Apparently, amidst her daydreaming, she’s completely lost track of time. “Wife and I have a date tonight.”

“Good, she deserves a good time,” says Alec. “Just please find a better excuse than checking old demon lairs in Brooklyn. No one’s gonna buy that one anymore.”

“If  _they’re_  going  _out_ , can  _we_  stay  _in_?” suggests Jace.

Alec grins. “Maybe. We’ll see how the day goes. Now get up, Isabelle. I need to make the bed.”

“It’s okay, Alec. Jace and I will take care of that.”

“Excuse me!” protests Jace, coming out of the bathroom. “I did not hear myself volunteering.”

Izzy shrugs. “Consider it compensation for the report you didn’t write.”

Jace glares daggers at her, but is immediately distracted by Alec, who wraps him in a loose embrace and kisses him on the forehead. “Thanks, Jace.”

“Uh… hmm… you’re welcome.”

Oh, Jace. Reduced to a blushing, stammering mess by a kiss on the brow. Who would ever have thought?

“See you two later,” says Alec, making his way to the door in three long steps. “Behave.”

Izzy thinks of offering a sarcastic rejoinder, but in all truthiness, she probably will spend the rest of the day on her best behavior anyway. Her days of rebellion for rebelliousness’s sake feel like a thing of the past. No reason to upset people who truly appreciate her and her contributions.

Furthermore, thanks to Lydia, she has learned to be more selective of her battles. The Clave gives her plenty of legitimate reasons to rebel against authority at any given Monday anyway.

Jace sits beside her on the bed, watching the door close. Izzy can’t see his face from that angle, but she knows his exact expression. Fond, proud, happy, longing. He looks like that every morning after Alec leaves.

It’s a good look on him.

“I hate making beds,” he mutters.

“No one likes making beds, Jace.”

“Yes, but… making our lovers’ married bed?”

“Small price to pay, don’t you think?”

As he turns his head to her, she sees a brilliant smile lighting up his face.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 5 of Jalec Week – Domestic.  
> Originally posted on Tumblr on 23 February, 2017.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr as morgandeeyue.


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